Times may be tough in this sluggish economy, but that doesn’t mean buildings are not getting makeovers and new restaurants are not popping up in downtown Alameda.

Among them is Monkey King Pub & Grill, which will open Monday on Park Street next door to the Hobnob restaurant and bar. It’s on the same block as Angkor Grill with its Cambodian cuisine and Scolari’s, the deli popular for its strombolis and burgers — and where employees frequently hand-deliver food to the patrons of the neighboring Lucky 13 bar.

The upcoming opening of Monkey King comes just a month after Red Onion began serving up chicken fried steak, chili cheese fries and a host of specialty burgers a block away in the former Bernardi Cleaners building, now transformed with the look and feel of a 1950s diner.

It’s the first Red Onion to open on the Island.

“It seems that the places that are opening are offering different styles of food,” said Oakland resident Hugo Falles, 34, after he visited Scolari’s for lunch on a recent afternoon. “Sometimes there’s not a lot of choice in a neighborhood, and that can drive people away.”

Also recently opened is Fresh New York Bagel & Cafe on Park Street near San Antonio Avenue, while the Little Old-Fashioned Candie & Soda Pop Shop is expected to open at the former DomeFits store site near the Subway shop on Park.

The Acapulco restaurant — a Lincoln Avenue institution that was run by the Quintero family for more than 50 years until it closed in August — could reopen next month, according to Chowhound, a website for foodies.

The legendary Acapulco name will remain under the new ownership through a deal worked out with the Quintero family.

But like the building that now houses Red Onion, the interior is getting a makeover. Securing city permits, however, has apparently slowed the work and for now the doors remain locked, according to the blog.

“It’s good news,” nearby resident David Chawzane, 24, said. “I was a fan of the old restaurant, and I hate to see the place vacant. Now is the time, I guess, when we just wait and see what will happen.”

Now open at the site of the former Aroma restaurant on Blanding Avenue — overlooking the Oakland-Alameda Estuary — is Dragon Rouge, which was previously on Encinal Avenue.

Last year, the Vietnamese bistro was featured on “Check Please! Bay Area,” the television show on KQED in which guests offer restaurant reviews.

The recent restaurant openings come on the heels of the City Council approving regulations — effective Feb. 6 — for food trucks that may visit the Island, clearing the way for vendors to possibly begin serving at Alameda Point, South Shore Center and other locations.

Supporters of the trucks say they can help brick-and-mortar businesses — including restaurants — by attracting customers to a neighborhood, pointing to the weekly food truck scene in Berkeley’s “Gourmet Ghetto.”

Reach Peter Hegarty at 510-748-1654 or follow him on Twitter via @Peter_Hegarty.

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